Gaming Tech Radar

NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, April 22 (game #681)

April 21, 2025
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Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, April 21 (game #680).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #681) - today's words

NYT Connections hints for game 681 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

  • ICE
  • WHEEL
  • GREASE
  • LIGHTNING
  • FIRE
  • EEL
  • AXE
  • SUN
  • CLAY
  • SCRAP
  • VOLCANO
  • GLAZE
  • DROP
  • BANANA PEEL
  • KILN
  • CUT

NYT Connections today (game #681) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: Halt
  • GREEN: Making china pots 
  • BLUE: Slide away
  • PURPLE: Hot, hot, hot 

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #681) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

  • YELLOW: CANCEL, AS A PROJECT
  • GREEN: SEEN IN A POTTERY STUDIO 
  • BLUE: THINGS THAT ARE SLIPPERY 
  • PURPLE: NATURAL PRODUCERS OF HEAT 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #681) - the answers

NYT Connections answers for game 681 on a purple background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #681, are…

  • YELLOW: CANCEL, AS A PROJECT AXE, CUT, DROP, SCRAP
  • GREEN: SEEN IN A POTTERY STUDIO CLAY, GLAZE, KILN, WHEEL
  • BLUE: THINGS THAT ARE SLIPPERY BANANA PEEL, EEL, GREASE, ICE
  • PURPLE: NATURAL PRODUCERS OF HEAT FIRE, LIGHTNING, SUN, VOLCANO
  • My rating: Easy
  • My score: 1 mistake

Today’s joke was, of course, GREASE and LIGHTNING. Although I’m sure I wasn’t alone in the words ICE and FIRE triggering a quick search for a Game of Thrones group (A Song of Ice and Fire being the title of the unfinished collection of books it is based on).

My mistake today came as I was soaring towards a faultless round. Thinking there was a group that was about natural electricity creation I had EEL instead of VOLCANO in what became the purple quartet, NATURAL PRODUCERS OF HEAT.

That they produce electricity is one of three things people know about eels, the others being they are slippery and some brave souls enjoy eating them boiled and served in jelly (I am not one of those people, the idea of eating something that is slimy, boney and stringy does not whet my appetite).

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 21 April, game #680)

  • YELLOW: INFO ON A NUTRITION LABEL FAT, IRON, PROTEIN, SODIUM
  • GREEN: METAPHOR FOR SOMETHING UNEXPECTED BOMBSHELL, CURVEBALL, TWIST, WRENCH
  • BLUE: THINGS YOU CAN INSERT INTO A SPREADSHEET CELL, COLUMN, ROW, SHEET
  • PURPLE: HELICAL THINGS CORKSCREW, DNA, FUSILLI, SPRING

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.